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AT&T is bringing its 1 Gbps FTTH U-verse with GigaPower service to Durham, N.C., a market where it currently does not operate as a wireline provider, laying a challenge to incumbent provider Frontier Communications and eventually Google Fiber.

Google Fiber's plans to bring its 1 Gbps service into Salt Lake City and Nashville by using existing utility poles in each city not only sheds light on its ongoing buildout strategy, but also shows how important access to utility poles at reasonable rates is key to expanding broadband services.

Google Fiber has started building its gigabit fiber network in Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C. The company announced the construction on Twitter showing photos of crews digging and burying fiber in those two cities.

As part of its Google Fiber deployment, Google is expanding its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment to Nashville, Tenn., and Salt Lake City. Interestingly, the company said that it is creating fiber rings in both cities by attaching fiber to utility poles.

Consolidated Communications is aware that Google Fiber is a formidable broadband service provider, including the markets where it also offers 1 Gbps broadband, but the century-old telco says that what differentiates them from their new competitor is customer service.

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